Vehicle headlight



`April l, 1930. A. c. MENNINGEN 1,752,349

VEHICLE HEADLIGHT yFiled Sept 29, 1928 Patented Apr. l, 1930 UNITED-STATES PATENT ,(nfiflci:

Ahorra c. MENNINGEN, or 'wE's'rinL'Lis' WISCONSIN Appleationvled September.29,i1928;- SeralNo. 309,158.

10 hicle,the headlight is apt to Work or 'be jarred slightly out of adjustment so thatthe. light rays Will not beproperly directed.

Itis, therefore, the primary object yof the present invention tol provide a vehicle head- 15 lightk arranged sothat if it should get out of correct adjustment With respect to its mounting the headlight reflector Will be automatically maintained and held With respectto the plane of the-vehicle Iso as to-throw vthe light 20 beams in an exactly.y correct i forward and slightlyl downwardT directiorn A. further object of the invention is to provide a-,vehicle headlight in which, vat anytiltedposition of the headlight casing, the head- 275 lightbulb -isalways equidistant ,from -all points onthe reflector surface so-that the rintensity of the light beam is not varied. Y f

A. further object offthe inventionis toprovide a vehicleheadlight in ywhich the reflector 370 is-piyotally mountedwithinthe headlight casing and is held in adjustedpositions .therein against thetensionof springs. Y 1.

A further; objectoftheinvention .is to pro'- vide a vehicle headlight=in which Athefreflector .35 is automatically adjusted, Which2is-,strong and. durable, with rwhichr .anyvehicle may be readilyA equipped, and Whichlisvve1l--adaptedV forthepurposesdescribed. Y f With the above and other .obj ects 1in-view 49 the invention consists lof the-'improvedv vehicle` headlight, and its parts ,and combina.- tions as set forth in the claimsfand all equivalentsthereof. f 'Y In the accompany-ing which the- 45 same reference characters indicate thesame pa-rts'inbothviews;

Fig. 11 is a verticalsectional -view-taken 0n line 1-1 of Fig. 2, with atilted, out-ofsad Aj ustrnent position ofthe headlight-casinggbe ing sh'ownin dotted'linesgandA Y Fig. 2 is a front vieW of afheadlight With the casing and reflector shown in vertical section. i

Referring now more particularly to the drawing it'Will appear that the numeral 5 indicates a vehicle fender carrying a laterally projecting arm 6 on which is mounted a bracket 7 supporting a headlight casing 8. The bottom portion of the casing is provided with a slot 9, and a bolt'lO, having kan enlarged curved cam head 11 extends through the arm 6, vthe bracket 7, and theY casing slot 9, and has a securing nut'12 threaded on its lovver end portion. The casing slot 9 permits the casing to becorrectly adjusted on the bolt 10, in a vertical position With respectto the-bracket. light socket 13 extends centrally through the rear of the casing 8 and a circuit'Wire l14 is connected With said socket. An incandescent bulb 15 is carried by the socket vWithin Ythe casing. Y

Pivotallyv mounted Withinthe casing isa dished reflector member 16 having a vertical'-v lyv elongated central opening '17 through WhichY said bulb 15 projects permitting pivotal movements of thejreflector With respect yto the bulb.

The means for pivotally'niounting the reL ilector Within the headlight casing include an annular ring member l8fcarried by' the ref-` v i'lector and said ringk member is formed With. a pair of diametricallyopposed,side,rear Wardly turned, U-shaped arm' portions 19, each of which is p'ivotally secured to Va side Aofthe casing, as at 20. Said pivot. points'20 are in the focal plane and passthrough the focus of the reflector 16 so that'a tiltingV of the refiectordoes not change the focal rela# tionof the lightsource with respect to the re;-

ector. There is also pivotallysecuredto-'the inner'sideportions'of said arms 19, as" atf21, the upperend portions of a v depending U shaped orV yoke vmember 22,1 formed-.With` a l) pair of spaced lower lug portions 23 between i Which-the lovverend Iportionof a short bracket 2 4 is secured.n The.. upper end portion of said bracket 24: is pivotally secured to a doubled link .25 z Which` is pivotally'Y secured at its rear V end portion't'o a: bracket 26 projecting from innerk lower portion kof thecasing. The-lower 3 end portions of the lug portions 23 are downwardly rearwardly inclined, as at 27, to ride with respect to the bolt cam head ll, as will be more fully explained.

The upper end portions of the yoke member 22, below the arms 19, carry rearwardly pro-.

jecting L-shaped members V28, and coiled springs 29 are yieldingly'interposed betweenY `the rear flanges of the members 28 and the ring member 18. Hence, when thereis a pivotal movement between the reflector and headlight casing in one direction said springsY will be compressed, while a relative pivotal movement betweenthe Yreflector and casing in the other direction will permit an expansion of said springs, and said springs will assist in said relative' pivotal movement. Normally, however, said springs are slightly compressed, with the result that the reflectorris cushioned and is held against undesired looseness, play andv rattling.

VThe front portion ofthe headlight casing removably carries an open faced frame or cover 30 which'removably holds in position a lens 3l of usual construction. y

Normally, the headlightv is vsupposed to be` mounted on its supporting bracketin correct adjustment so that the plane of theheadlight casing is perpendicular to the plane ofthe vehicle. The-parts, therefore, should be inv the full line positions shown in Fig. l. Y lt isV often the case, however, that after use, the headlight will work slightly out of adjustment on its supporting bracket, andwhen the casing is tilted slightly rearwardly from vertical, as in dotted lines in Fig. l, the inclined edge 27 of the member 23 will ride upwardly on thefbolt canivhead l1, causing anvupward movement of the yoke 22, and effecting a relative pivotal movement between Vtherellector and casing, in a clockwise direction so far as Vthe reflector in Figi is concerned, but the result will be thatthe reflector is automatically maintained in a' correct unchanged position at right angles to the plane of the vehicle for the proper directioning of the light rays. During this movement vthe springs 29 will be compressed. In any forwardly tilted movements of the casing thefmember'22 Vwill be lowered and the expansive .forcey of the springs 29 will cause a relative pivotal movement between the casing and reflector, wherethe reflector ismaintained perpendicularly to the plane of the vehicle. V,

From the foregoing description it will be k:seen-that the improved headlight is constructedto automatically maintain the reflector perpendicularlyto the planeof the vehicle, for the proper directioning of light rays, regardless Vof the fact that theca'sing` may work out of correct adjustment on its mounting. Also, the headlight is both simple and novel and is well adaptedv for the purposesde scribed. y Y l casing, a vlamp bulb adjacent the reflector,

means for adjustablyconnecting the casing to vehicle, a cam carried by said connecting vmeans, and yielding means engaging the reflectonsaidcam and said yielding means beingv adapted to coact with the reflector Vto c,

maintain the same in a predetermined ,position of alinement with relation to the road travelledby the vehicle regardless of the position of the headlight casing.

3. A vehicle headlight comprising a casking, a reflector pivotally mounted within the casing and having an'extension, a lamp bnlb acent the reflector, means for adjustably connecting the casing to vehicle, and a cam carried by said connecting means and adapted to coact with the reflector extension to maintain said reflector in a predetermined position of alinement with relation to the road travelled by the vehicle regardless Aof Vthe position of the headlight casing.

4; A vehicle headlight comprising arcasing, a reflector pivotallymounted within the casing for forward' and rearward pivotal V movements with respectthereto and having an extension with an inclined lower endy portion, a lamp lbulb adjacent the reflector, means for adj ustably connecting the casing 'to a vehicle, and a cam carried by said connecting means and/adapted toengage the inclined lower endportion `ofthe reflector extension to maintain-'the reflectorin apredetermined position of alinement .with rel-ation` to 'thef road travelled by the vehicle regardless )of the position of the headlight casing. 3 5. A vehicle headlight comprising a casing,'a reflector pivotally mounted within the Y casing, a lampbulbadjacentfthe reflector,

a vehicle, an arm having one end pivoted'to the reflector, yielding means vbetween saidy .Y

arm and the reflector, a link having-one end pivoted to the casing and its other end pivoted to said arm, and aicam carried by theV adj ustable connecting means and adapted to co- Vact withthe reflector arm to maintain said reflectory in a predetermined p ositionof alinement with relation to the roadV travelledby meansfo'r adj ustably connectingthe casing to the vehicle regardless ofthe-'positionof the headlight casing.

6. A vehicle headlight a reflector pivotally mounted within 'the cascomprising a casing, Y

ing and having a central slot, a lamp bulb in connection with the casing and extending through the slot in the reflector, a depending U-shaped member having its ends pivotally connected to opposite sides of the reflector, the lower portion of said U-shaped member having an extension with an inclined lower end portion, yielding means between said U- shaped member and the reector, a link having one end pivoted to the casing and its other end pivoted to the Ushaped member, means for adjustably connecting the casing to a vehicle, and a cam carried by said connecting means and adapted to engage the in- Clined lower end portion of the extension 'of the U-shaped member to maintain said reflector in a predetermined position of alinement` with relation to the road travelled by the vehicle regardless of the position of the headlight casing.

7 A vehicle headlight comprising a casing having a slot in its lower portion, a reflector pivotally mounted within the casing, a lamp bulb adjacent the reflector, a bolt eX- tending through the slot in th-e lower portion of the casing Jfor adjustably securing the casing to a vehicle,V and a cam carried by the head of said bolt and adapted to coaet with the reflector to maintain the samein a predetermined position of alinement with relation to the road travelledv by the vehicle, regardless of the position of the headlight casing In testimony whereof, I aliix my signature.

ADOLPH C. MENNINGEN. 

